Radio Frequency Front End Transmit and Receive Path Switch Gain

1. A radio frequency front end of a user equipment, comprising: a receive chain comprising a first low noise amplifier stage; a transmit chain comprising a first power amplifier stage; a transmit bypass path selectively coupled by a first switch to a transmit signal path at a first intermediate point of the transmit chain, prior to the first power amplifier stage; a receive bypass path selectively coupled by a second switch to a receive signal path at a first intermediate point of the receive chain after the first low noise amplifier stage, a portion of the transmit bypass path selectively shared with the receive bypass path, the second switch differing from the first switch; and a time division duplex switch coupled to an antenna, the transmit bypass path, the receive bypass path, the first power amplifier stage and the first low noise amplifier stage.

2. The radio frequency front end of the user equipment of claim 1 , in which the time division duplex switch comprises a single pole triple throw switch.

3. The radio frequency front end of the user equipment of claim 2 , in which a first throw of the single pole triple throw switch is coupled to the transmit signal path, a second throw of the single pole triple throw switch is coupled to the receive signal path, a third throw of the single pole triple throw switch is coupled to the transmit bypass path or the receive bypass path, and a pole of the single pole triple throw switch is coupled to the antenna.

4. The radio frequency front end of the user equipment of claim 1 , further comprising a third switch within the transmit bypass path to selectively couple to the first intermediate point of the transmit chain to bypass the first power amplifier stage during a transmit bypass mode or a fourth switch within the receive bypass path to selectively couple to the first intermediate point of the receive chain to bypass the first low noise amplifier stage during a receive bypass mode.

5. The radio frequency front end of the user equipment of claim 4 , in which the first switch is at the first intermediate point of the transmit chain to bypass the first power amplifier stage and in which the second switch is at the first intermediate point of the receive chain to bypass the first low noise amplifier stage.

6. A method of bypassing a low noise amplifier stage and a power amplifier stage of a radio frequency front end of a user equipment, comprising: dynamically switching a time division duplex (TDD) switch selectively coupled to an antenna, a transmit bypass path, a receive bypass path, at least one power amplifier stage and at least one low noise amplifier stage to bypass the at least one low noise amplifier stage or the at least one power amplifier stage, the bypassing comprising: bypassing the at least one power amplifier stage via the transmit bypass path selectively coupled by a first switch to a transmit signal path at an intermediate point prior to a final stage of the at least one power amplifier stage when the user equipment operates in a reduced transmit power mode; and bypassing the at least one low noise amplifier stage via the receive bypass path selectively coupled by a second switch to a receive signal path at an intermediate point after a first stage of the at least one low noise amplifier stage when the user equipment operates in a low receive gain mode, a portion of the transmit bypass path selectively shared with the receive bypass path, the first switch differing from the second switch.

7. The method of claim 6 , in which bypassing the at least one power amplifier stage comprises bypassing the final stage of the at least one power amplifier stage.

8. The method of claim 6 , in which bypassing the at least one low noise amplifier stage comprises bypassing the first stage of the at least one low noise amplifier stage.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising receiving an indication to operate in the reduced transmit power mode based at least in part on a feedback loop.

10. The method of claim 6 , in which the user equipment operates in the low receive gain mode when the user equipment receives a signal above a threshold value.

11. A radio frequency front end, comprising: a receive chain comprising a first low noise amplifier stage; a transmit chain comprising a first power amplifier stage; means for selectively coupling an antenna to a transmit signal path via a transmit bypass path at a first intermediate point of the transmit chain, prior to the first power amplifier stage; means for selectively coupling the antenna to a receive signal path via a receive bypass path at a first intermediate point of the receive chain after the first low noise amplifier stage, a portion of the transmit bypass path selectively shared with the receive bypass path; and a time division duplex switch coupled to the antenna, the transmit signal path coupling means, the receive signal path coupling means, the first power amplifier stage and the first low noise amplifier stage, in which the time division duplex switch comprises a single pole triple throw switch and comprises a transistor having a gate width shorter than a series transistor in the time division duplex switch.

12. The radio frequency front end of claim 11 , in which a first throw of the single pole triple throw switch is coupled to the transmit signal path, a second throw of the single pole triple throw switch is coupled to the receive signal path, a third throw of the single pole triple throw switch is coupled to the transmit bypass path or the receive bypass path, and a pole of the single pole triple throw switch is coupled to the antenna.

13. The radio frequency front end of claim 11 , in which the transmit signal path coupling means is selectively coupled to the first intermediate point of the transmit chain to bypass the first power amplifier stage during a transmit bypass mode or the receive signal path coupling means is selectively coupled to the first intermediate point of the receive chain to bypass the first low noise amplifier stage during a receive bypass mode.

14. A radio frequency front end of a user equipment, comprising: a receive chain comprising a first low noise amplifier stage; a transmit chain comprising a first power amplifier stage; a transmit bypass path selectively coupled to a transmit signal path at a first intermediate point of the transmit chain, prior to the first power amplifier stage; a receive bypass path selectively coupled to a receive signal path at a first intermediate point of the receive chain after the first low noise amplifier stage; and a time division duplex switch coupled to an antenna, the transmit bypass path, the receive bypass path, the first power amplifier stage and the first low noise amplifier stage, the time division duplex switch including a transistor having a gate width shorter than a series transistor in the time division duplex switch.

15. A radio frequency front end of a user equipment, comprising: a receive chain comprising a first low noise amplifier stage; a transmit chain comprising a first power amplifier stage; a transmit bypass path selectively coupled to a transmit signal path at a first intermediate point of the transmit chain, prior to the first power amplifier stage; a receive bypass path selectively coupled to a receive signal path at a first intermediate point of the receive chain after the first low noise amplifier stage; and a time division duplex switch coupled to an antenna, the transmit bypass path, the receive bypass path, the first power amplifier stage and the first low noise amplifier stage, the time division duplex switch including multiple series transistors placed sequentially to increase a breakdown voltage of the time division duplex switch or including an impedance inverter to change a first transistor coupled to an antenna port of the time division duplex switch from a series transistor to a shunt transistor.

16. A radio frequency front end of a user equipment, comprising: a receive chain comprising a first low noise amplifier stage; a transmit chain comprising a first power amplifier stage; a transmit bypass path selectively coupled to a transmit signal path at a first intermediate point of the transmit chain, prior to the first power amplifier stage; a receive bypass path selectively coupled to a receive signal path at a first intermediate point of the receive chain after the first low noise amplifier stage, a portion of the transmit bypass path selectively shared with the receive bypass path; a time division duplex switch coupled to an antenna, the transmit bypass path, the receive bypass path, the first power amplifier stage and the first low noise amplifier stage; and a first switch within the transmit bypass path to selectively couple to the first intermediate point of the transmit chain to bypass the first power amplifier stage during a transmit bypass mode, and/or within the receive bypass path to selectively couple to the first intermediate point of the receive chain to bypass the first low noise amplifier stage during a receive bypass mode, wherein the first switch is further configured to selectively couple to a second intermediate point of the transmit chain to bypass the first power amplifier stage and a second power amplifier stage of the transmit chain during a transmit bypass mode and/or further configured to selectively couple to a second intermediate point of the receive chain to bypass the first low noise amplifier stage and a second low noise amplifier stage of the receive chain during a receive bypass mode.

17. A radio frequency front end of a user equipment, comprising: a receive chain comprising a first low noise amplifier stage; a transmit chain comprising a first power amplifier stage; a transmit bypass path selectively coupled to a transmit signal path at a first intermediate point of the transmit chain, prior to the first power amplifier stage; a receive bypass path selectively coupled to a receive signal path at a first intermediate point of the receive chain after the first low noise amplifier stage, a portion of the transmit bypass path selectively shared with the receive bypass path; a time division duplex switch coupled to an antenna, the transmit bypass path, the receive bypass path, the first power amplifier stage and the first low noise amplifier stage; a first switch within the transmit bypass path to selectively couple to the first intermediate point of the transmit chain to bypass the first power amplifier stage during a transmit bypass mode, and/or within the receive bypass path to selectively couple to the first intermediate point of the receive chain to bypass the first low noise amplifier stage during a receive bypass mode; and a second switch coupled to the first switch, the second switch configured to selectively couple to a second intermediate point of the transmit chain to bypass the first power amplifier stage and a second power amplifier stage during the transmit bypass mode or configured to selectively couple to a second intermediate point of the receive chain to bypass the first low noise amplifier stage and a second low noise amplifier stage during the receive bypass mode.

18. The radio frequency front end of the user equipment of claim 17 , further comprising an auxiliary channel tapped to at least one of the time division duplex switch, the first switch and the second switch.